Mount for electric fittings.



G. A. EUKMAN.

VMOUNT FOR ELECTRIC FITTINGS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1914.

1,1 1 3,7 62. Patented 001;. 13, 1914.

GUSTAVUS A. EGKMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MOUNT FOR ELECTRIC FITTINGS;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAVUS A. EoK- aux, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 1n Mountsfor I Electric Fittings, of which the following is a specification.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a mount for electricfittings, such as switches, or the like, which will permit the locationof the switch to be adjusted in relation to a fixed support, so asconveniently to bring the front surface or face of the switch within theplane or proximate plane-of the finished structure, such as theplastering or the trim of a building.

- ing.

It is now the practice, in placing circuit controlling switches in a 1building under construction, to first locate the boxes, within whichsuch switches are to be contained and securethem to suitable supportswithin the building wall at selected locations before the plastering hasbeen done and before the trim is applied. It is very difficult, if notan impossible matter, to invariably locate the switch, boxes so thatwhen the plastering has been applied that the face of the switch housingwhen placed will come just flush with the face or ground of theplastering. If theface of the switch projects beyond the plastering, thebox, within which it is to be contained, must then be moved back fromthe front face" of the plaster, which is atask involving considerablework and usually attended'with very unsatisfactory results. If theswitch box be placed back of the plane in which the front face of theplastering is to appear, the switch has heretofore been mounted in thebox by building a mount of a plurality of separate. spacing washers, orsmall tubes, through which the switch-securing screws are assed to bringthe face of the switch out yond the face of the box'and in the sameplane with the surface of the plaster- Either of these expedients thatmay be adopted is expensive in time and labor; un-uniform andunworkmanlike in results and generally unsatisfactory. In overcomingthese diflic'ulties I provide a fitting mount whereby to' position theswitch in the switch box or other suitable support, at a suitabledistance therefrom, to correspond with the front face of the plastering,after the application of the plaster tothe wall,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 30, 1914. Serial No. 815,350.

Patented Oct. 1 3, 1914.

and so arranged as conveniently to vary the location of the switch insmall gradations with reference to its presentation to the plaster face.

. In carrying my invention into effect, F igure 1 is an exemplificationof a plan View of an electric switch mounted within an outlet box of theusual construction. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view. Fig. 3is an isometric view of the mount.

#In all the views the same reference char-' acters are employed toindicate similar parts.

5 is the outlet box havin the usual knockouts 66 to provide ori ces forthe interior conduits carrying the wires that are to be connected to theswitch.

7 is a top or cover for the'box, secured thereto by means of ears 8 thatproject from its front surface and which are adapted to be bent overinto contact with the top, or

.in such location, with reference to the permanent structure 13, thatthe front surface of the top 7 will come just about flush with the frontsurface of the structure 13, so that the switch may be applied to'theswitch box and leave sufficient room at the back portion of the box foradmission of the wires that are to come through the conduits that areconnected therewith. The mount 15, of which there are two to be usedwith eachswitch, consists of a U- shaped portion 16 and terminal baseportions 17 and 18 that'are flattened so as to occupy substantially thesame plane. U shaped central portion 16, is slotted at intervals, as at19, to provide between the slots abutment portions 20. Preferably theslots do not extend to the base portions 17 and 18 but leave an'unbrokenlongitudinal portion 21 for the purpose of strengthening the baseportions 17 and 18. The slots 19 are, preferably, in width, equal to thethickness of the flange portion 9 of the top 7 so- The that said flangecan be convenientl introduced in either of the 1-slot s,;;l;,;w en themount is being placed in positionfoi support of the switch. 423:6 -1 Inapplying the device the attaching screws 10 are first passed throughthe. ears, 12-42 of the switch 11, after which the mount 15 is placed inthe'boxi 'so' that the fiange9 will passinto a selected slot 19, ofthemount, to permit the. front race of the' switch 11 to come substantiallyflush'with the ground or front face of the plasteringld. The attachingscrew 10 is then passed into the threaded orifice in the flange 9 andscrewed on until the switch 11 is' firmly held in contactfwith' themount, aportion of which intervenes betweenthe switch and the flange 9ofthe switch box cover; The extended portion of the screw 10, passesinto the box and the unnecessary portion of the mount 15 is alsocontained within the box, but these portions are out of the way and donot interfere with the usual contents of the box. It will thus benotedthat the location of the switch, with reference to its projection fromthe box relative to the face of the plastering may be adjusted byplacing the flange 9, of the cover 7 in any one of they slots 19 andtightening the screw- 10.

In ractice each switch or boxmay be furnis ed with a pair of mounts,bymeans of which the front :Eace of the switch may be adjusted in anyselected position with reference to its distance from the r ace' of thebox or cover, and should it become necessary, subsequently, to niove theswitch and to place it in a new position, it can conveniently be done byplacing the flange 9, of the cover, in a diflerent slot, of the mountand should the box 5 ;be initially placed in an angular position, withreferenceto the ,front face of the plastei't'the front of the switch maybe brought into the, proper plane by selecting the proper slots 19l9within which to place the respective flanges 9-9 of the box cover.

.Having described my invention, what I claim with a view and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination withan outlet box, having an opening in its front face, of inwardlyprojecting flanges thereon, having screw receiving openings, a switch,ea rs projectingtherefrom having attachment screw openings therein, thescrew openings in the flanges being in alinement with the attachmentscrew openings in the switch ears,

.spacer members adapted to abut against the switch ears and transverselyslotted for engagement with the flanges and attachment screws "passingthrough the switch ears and into the flanges for clamping said partstogether.

'2. The combination with an outlet box having an opening in its frontface, of inwardly projecting flanges thereon having tapped screwreceivin openings, a switch, ears projecting there rom having attachmentscrew openings therein, the screw openings in the flanges being inalinement with the. attachment screw openings in the switch ears,attachment screws taking through said switch ears and into the tappedopemngs in the flanges, spacer members adapted to abut at their outerends againstsaid ears and U- shaped ofl-set portions on'said spacermember passing around said screws, said off-set portions having aplurality of transverse slots therein for adjustable engagement withsaid flanges.-

In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

. GUSTAVUS A. ECKMAN. In the presence of- STANLEY W. Coon,

MARY F. Arman.

